What went wrong for Sunderland at Watford - #onthewhistle - video Dailymotion

Sunderland Echo

Phil and James take questions from fans after Sunderland's 2-1 defeat to Watford

Transcript

00:00Hello, welcome to On The Whistle, Sunderland have just lost 2-1 to Watford at Vicarage

00:14Road.

00:15Phil, bitterly disappointed in the result.

00:16I thought that Sunderland were pretty poor in the first half, although they did come

00:20into it.

00:21Second half, I thought they were much, much better, deserved something out of that game

00:24and a costly penalty given away by Dan Neil.

00:26Yeah, it was a really strange game.

00:28I thought that the first half was probably as poor as we've seen Sunderland all season.

00:32In fact, I think it definitely was.

00:33I mean, they barely had a kick, didn't they, in the first half, first half and hour of

00:38the game.

00:39It was just quite hard.

00:40Obviously, we know that they're quite happy to sit off and counter-attack, but they pretty

00:43much had 10 men in their own box for most of the game.

00:45It was really strange.

00:46It was interesting asking Lebris about it there and he made pretty clear it wasn't an

00:50issue with effort or mentality or anything.

00:52He said he felt that Watford's basically 3-5-2 formation had basically caught Sunderland

00:57out.

00:58Well, not caught Sunderland out, as in he felt that they struggled to deal with that.

01:00I mean, he said he made a little tweak for Neil to drop in almost as a third centre-half

01:04and you did see the game change.

01:05I thought Sunderland ended the first half really well.

01:08Second half, totally dominated the first 20 minutes of the half, but then it was really

01:12open and could have gone either way, I think.

01:13I think Watford did come back into it, I think, once they realised there were opportunities

01:16on the break that did look lively.

01:18For me, I think a point would have been a fair result, probably.

01:22I think Watford completely dominated early on and I don't think Sunderland totally dominated

01:25the second half.

01:26I'm not arguing the better team, but Watford always looked a threat.

01:29I thought when Watford scored, if anyone was going to score, it was going to be Sunderland,

01:32when Watford got that penalty.

01:33Yeah, no, I agree with that.

01:34I think Sunderland were shading it, but it wasn't one-way traffic, by any specific imagination.

01:37No, and there was a couple of those crucial blocks, there was one by Hulme, I think O'Nine

01:41might have got one as well.

01:42So, yeah.

01:43So, it was strange in the end, I felt it was a slightly harsh result and it was interesting

01:45speaking to Lebris there.

01:46I know he's quite a measured person anyway, so you're not going to get a strong reaction

01:50to a defeat, but he was quite upbeat, he was really pleased with the way that Sunderland

01:55had been in a bit of a hole early on and had dug their way out of it and that they'd

01:58found a solution.

02:00He was more upbeat than you would expect a manager to be after a defeat.

02:04Well, his message was on still building the culture.

02:07Basically, he said that Sunderland needed to do better, but he was actually pleased

02:12by how they were able to change tactically in the game.

02:15Yeah, really disappointing and you can't, away from home in the Championship, every

02:19team has really good players and you cannot afford to give them a head start like Sunderland

02:22did today.

02:23So, yeah, really disappointing, but I don't think it was it.

02:26It's similar to Plymouth, really frustrating, but it wasn't like a terrible performance.

02:29I think it's maybe highlighted that Sunderland can be vulnerable on the counter-attack actually

02:36because I thought Watford had so much pace, quality and power as well that they were just

02:39sort of driving through Sunderland at times.

02:41They've got good players, I mean, I'm not going to try and pronounce his name because

02:45I'm going to embarrass myself, but the number eight, the Georgian international is a real

02:48threat.

02:49You know, Mises Sissoko probably doesn't have the legs that he had once upon a time, but

02:52he's still a really good player.

02:54Barr was really lively in the substitute that came on.

02:56They have got good players, you know, we shouldn't be dismissive of that.

02:58And I think, to be fair, Sunderland were between a rock and a hard place, weren't they?

03:01Because when they were trying not to give counter-attacking opportunities up early on,

03:05they were just, you know, completely absent from the game in any kind of attacking way.

03:08So really disappointing, really frustrating, but I think, you know, there were some positives

03:13to take, which will come on to Isidore being a big one.

03:16He was excellent at prop, played like a prop number nine.

03:18There's been so much debate about, oh, he's not going to be a strike, he prefers to play

03:21off the left.

03:22I mean, true, but he looked like a number nine today.

03:23He held the ball up when he was quite isolated in the first half, made some Ross Stewart-esque

03:27runs into the channel for something a bit different, took his goal well.

03:30I thought he was really good.

03:31I'm quite excited by his performance today.

03:33I don't want to compare him sort of too closely to Ross Stewart because, obviously, he's his

03:37own player and he's quite new to the club, and I think it's unfair to put that level

03:40of pressure on him, but that's the first time since Ross Stewart left that we've seen somebody

03:44up there where I've thought, right, hang on, OK, he's got the right stature and he makes

03:49the sort of similar sort of runs in between that forward channel.

03:53I don't think he's one-dimensional either.

03:55No, he's not as dynamic as Stewart, he's not as quick and he's not as powerful a runner.

03:59I think he's going to be different.

04:00I think he's going to be more of a link-up player, but the intelligence and the understanding

04:03of the position.

04:04Yeah, and for the goals as well, to be in that position was...

04:07Yeah, and I thought he was willing to put his back into the defences as well and scrap

04:10a bit, which is a really, really... he's going to have to do that.

04:13I think as well, just to keep going, because I actually thought in the first half he didn't

04:16really touch the ball too many times, but to have the wherewithal in the second half,

04:21obviously so close after the halftime break as well, to have the presence of mind just

04:26to get across the front post, the willingness, I thought that was really pleasing.

04:29Another assist for Roberts as well.

04:31Yeah, should we get to some questions?

04:32Yes, we should, yeah, yeah, yeah.

04:34Ethan Todd's friend of the show says, do you think Samed will come almost straight into

04:39the start 11 when fully fit and allow Neil to play in one of the eight where he's seemingly

04:45more comfortable and productive?

04:47I feel like that's going to be a theme of these questions.

04:49Yeah, have we got any other Dan Neil questions?

04:51Should we take them all as one?

04:52Because I feel like it's going to be a big talking point.

04:54Another from Mike Smith which we'll come to afterwards.

04:56Josh Kebbs says, does Dan Neil need dropping?

05:00Seems to have struggled.

05:03And we could throw the Dan Neil captain debate in there as well, I guess.

05:08Yeah, I mean, I don't think the captain's things have any impact on his performance.

05:11You know, I just don't see that at all.

05:14I think that, you know, for me, like, obviously Dan Neil's made a mistake there at the end

05:17and given a penalty where, you know, when we asked the briefs about it, he did make

05:20the point that no player should be left one on one for that long and that Neil didn't

05:24have the support.

05:25Obviously, it's a mistake.

05:26He shouldn't dive in and try and make the challenge and that's costing them.

05:29But I think, like, realistically, Neil took on this role when Corey Evans got injured

05:34and I think he's done an unbelievable job since then.

05:36And I know there've been some almost like high profile moments where, you know, it looks

05:41like he's cost the team.

05:43But, you know, that Middlesbrough red card, for example, last year was unbelievably harsh.

05:46I think Dan Neil has 90% of the time been really good in that role.

05:50And I think that there shouldn't be any kind of overreaction to what is obviously a costly

05:55mistake.

05:55I think at the moment, I think that Sunderland, I think he's more exposed in that position

06:00defensively than he has been in the past because I think Sunderland are playing with two eights

06:03rather than like two sixes and a ten.

06:06I think that's very noticeable.

06:07And when other teams break, Neil is very often trying to defend against a couple of players

06:10on his own.

06:11Sometimes he's made some great challenges.

06:13Sometimes he's not come out on top today.

06:15I don't agree with the assessment that Neil's been poor this season.

06:18I just absolutely don't.

06:20Has he been one of Sunderland's absolute best players?

06:23Maybe not.

06:23But I think he's done a decent job.

06:25He got sent off against Burnley, but he had a good game up until then for me.

06:29He's missed out on one challenge, which, yeah, maybe he shouldn't make.

06:32But I just think there shouldn't be an overreaction to Neil.

06:35Yeah, I still think he can do that role.

06:40Will Sam Ed come and play that role at times?

06:42I think he definitely will because he's more naturally a defensive midfielder.

06:45I don't, you know, I think that is a valid sort of discussion point.

06:48And I definitely think there'll be times where we see Sam Ed play that because he probably

06:51has got that more of those defensive abilities.

06:54But I think Neil's done an excellent job over a long period of time in that position.

06:58And yeah, I think he's a brilliant player going to the top.

07:02Whether he'll do that as a six or an eight, I don't know.

07:04Maybe we'll see the best of him as an eight.

07:05But I just, the assessment that Neil hasn't had a great start of the season, I think is

07:10an overreaction.

07:10I don't think it's the time to crucify him, to be brutally honest.

07:13Yes, he's made a mistake.

07:15You know, as LaBreeze mentioned, he was left one on one, which, you know, isn't ideal.

07:19A comment from Mike Smith actually backs that up and says, it's a shame Dan Neil is getting

07:23so much stick.

07:24He's been asked to take on a role for the team till Sam Ed is fit.

07:29Then he'll get the chance to push upfield.

07:30Poor judgment for the pen, but doesn't make him a poor player overall.

07:35No, he's an excellent player who's been one of Sunderland's most consistent performers

07:39for a long period of time, especially in a position that he had no real knowledge of

07:44before he took it on after Corey Evans' injury.

07:46And I agree with the basic point that I think there are times when we'll see Sam Ed play

07:52that role and Neil can push further up.

07:54And I think that could be a really nice blend.

07:55And I still do think Neil will probably end up as a more attacking midfielder in time.

07:59I've said it a million times.

08:00To me, Dan Neil is the player who played and scored against Ackland and Sam Ed at the

08:04stadium.

08:05Obviously, he's developed massively since then.

08:07But that was Dan Neil at his core.

08:13He'll be a better player for this spell he's had as a whole.

08:16And we have said for a long time that Sunderland should sign a proper defensive midfielder

08:19because we feel like that would boost the squad.

08:21And I think we've always felt that some variety in that position would be good.

08:24And hopefully Sam Ed will be that player.

08:25I think Dan Neil's been asked to play that position because there's probably a consensus

08:29at the club, at the Academy of Light, whether you agree with this or not, I probably tend

08:32to, is that technically he's probably the best midfielder we've got and the best suited

08:36too.

08:37And he's the one player that's able to suit that role.

08:40And at the start of that second half, when Sunderland actually got up the pitch and started

08:43controlling the game and seeing more of the ball, Neil was really good.

08:46You know, he picks the right passes, he moves it quickly, he plays the players in the right

08:49positions.

08:50When Sunderland are up the pitch, dominating the game, playing as we want them to on the

08:54front foot, Neil is a very effective number six.

08:56Do I agree that there will be scenarios where he needs a different number six?

08:59I absolutely do.

09:00And he's never going to be a Claude McAlealy as a defensive midfielder.

09:03He's not.

09:03And I accept that, but we shouldn't overreact.

09:05He still has a lot to offer in that role.

09:07We shouldn't overreact.

09:08And this isn't me digging out Joe Bellingham and Chris Rigg because the two players I absolutely

09:13love.

09:13And when they play well, I will praise them to the hill.

09:15But Bellingham and that...

09:17So once again, me and Phil had a little bit of a nightmare with the video here at Watford.

09:22Our iPhone storage was full again.

09:25So bear with us with these videos.

09:26We're going to try and do them a little bit better.

09:28But the point I was making was just on Sunderland's midfield being a little bit out of sorts.

09:33Head over to the Sunderland Echo website for all the latest analysis ahead of Derby County.

09:37And we'll try and get these videos nailed a little bit better.

09:40Thanks for watching.

09:40Cheers.

What went wrong for Sunderland at Watford - #onthewhistle

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